St Joseph's Church, Darfield

Darfield is a town in the Selwyn District of the South Island of New Zealand. It is 35 kilometres west of Christchurch. Its population is 3,150 as of June 2023.Darfield is the main town between Christchurch and the West Coast region. It is often called "The township under the nor'west arch" in reference to a characteristic weather phenomenon that often creates an arch of cloud in an otherwise clear sky to the west of the township. This is caused by the condensation of water particles channelled upwards over the Southern Alps. Darfield lies in the Malvern district's arable and pastoral farming area. It is a gateway to the scenic Waimakariri and Rakaia rivers and the Southern Alps, and is also a popular lift-off place for hot air ballooning. Darfield is located around the former junction of the railway lines coming from Christchurch and going to Whitecliffs (where coal was mined) and Springfield and on to the West Coast.

The 2010 Canterbury earthquake (also known as the Darfield earthquake) struck the South Island of New Zealand with a moment magnitude of 7.1 at 4:35 am local time on 4 September, and had a maximum perceived intensity of X (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale. Some damaging aftershocks followed the main event, the strongest of which was a magnitude 6.3 shock known as the Christchurch earthquake that occurred nearly six months later on 22 February 2011. Because this aftershock was centred very close to Christchurch, it was much more destructive and resulted in the deaths of 185 people.The earthquake on 4 September caused widespread damage and several power outages, particularly in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand's second largest city at that time. Two residents were seriously injured, one by a collapsing chimney and a second by flying glass. One person died of a heart attack and another from a fall. Mass fatalities were avoided partly due to there being few houses of unreinforced construction, although this was also aided by the quake occurring during the early hours of the morning when most people were off the street.The earthquake's epicentre was 40 kilometres (25 mi) west of Christchurch, close to the town of Darfield. The hypocentre was at a depth of 10 km. A foreshock of roughly magnitude 5.8 hit five seconds before the main quake, and strong aftershocks were reported, up to magnitude 5.4. The quake was felt as lasting up to 40 seconds, and was felt widely across the South Island, and in the North Island as far north as New Plymouth. As the epicentre was on land away from the coast, no tsunami occurred.The National Crisis Management Centre in the basement of the Beehive in Wellington was activated, and Civil Defence declared a state of emergency for Christchurch, the Selwyn District, and the Waimakariri District, while Selwyn District, Waimakariri and Timaru activated their emergency operation centres. Initially, a curfew was established for parts of Christchurch Central City from 7 pm to 7 am in response to the earthquake. The New Zealand Army was deployed to the worst affected areas in Canterbury.Insurance claims totalled between NZ$2.75 and $3.5 billion, although it is unclear how much cost can be attributed to each of the earthquake events in the 2010–2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence. The total estimated damage bill was up to $40 billion, making it the fifth-biggest insurance event in the world since 1953.

Greendale is a lightly populated rural area, part of the Selwyn District, Canterbury, a region of New Zealand's South Island.One of the first farmers was Thomas William Adams, a pioneer of forestry and education in the area. Another one of the first farmers was Charles Early who moved to Greendale (Water ford) in 1876. On 4 September 2010, Greendale became further notable as the location of the strongest earthquake ground-shaking ever recorded in New Zealand, registering an acceleration 1.25 times that of gravity. This was later exceeded by the 2.2 g recordings during the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake at Heathcote Valley.

Selwyn District is a predominantly rural district in central Canterbury, on the east coast of New Zealand's South Island. It is named after the Selwyn River / Waikirikiri, which is in turn named after Bishop George Selwyn, the first Anglican bishop of New Zealand who, in 1843 and 1844, travelled the length of the country by horse, foot, boat and canoe, leaving in his wake a sprinkling of locations that now bear his name.

Kirwee is a town located west of Christchurch in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It was named after Karwi in India by retired British Army colonel De Renzie Brett. Kirwee is also home to the South Island Agricultural Field Days, held biennially.

The Hororata River is a river of Canterbury, in the South Island of New Zealand. A tributary of the Selwyn River, the Hororata has its sources in rough hill country north of Windwhistle, and flows east through the township of Hororata before reaching the Selwyn 12 kilometres (7 mi) northwest of Dunsandel.

Burnt Hill is a small rural community in the Waimakariri District, New Zealand. It is named for the small extinct volcano in the township's south-east corner.

The Hawkins River is a river in New Zealand. A major tributary of Canterbury's Selwyn River, it flows generally southeast from its source to the southwest of Springfield, reaching the Selwyn 10 kilometres (6 mi) west of Burnham. The river also flows through the rural settlement of Hawkins, five kilometers from Darfield.

Courtenay is a settlement in inland Canterbury, New Zealand. It was once important as a place where the Waimakariri River could be forded and was a coach stop on the way to the West Coast. Its decline began when the Midland Line was routed via the nearby Kirwee.

The Canterbury Plains (Māori: Kā Pākihi-whakatekateka-a-Waitaha) are an area in New Zealand centred in the Mid Canterbury, to the south of the city of Christchurch in the Canterbury region. Their northern extremes are at the foot of the Hundalee Hills in the Hurunui District, and in the south they merge into the plains of North Otago beyond the Waitaki River. The smaller Amuri Plain forms a northern extension of the plains.

Aylesbury is a settlement in the Canterbury region of New Zealand. It can be found between the towns of Rolleston and Kirwee.The epicentre of the 7.1 magnitude Canterbury earthquake on 4 September 2010, was very close to Aylesbury and the largest land surface fractures were in this locality.

Dunsandel is a small rural town in the Canterbury region of the South Island, New Zealand. The town is located on the Canterbury Plains just south of the Selwyn River / Waikirikiri and about 40 km south of Christchurch. Dunsandel is a junction town on SH1, halfway between Christchurch and Ashburton, with roads leading to Leeston, Southbridge and Hororata. The town provides an important refreshment stop for main road travellers with eateries and coffee shops, as well as acting as a support town for the rural hinterland. The town was established to serve the local farming community which includes dairy, sheep and cropping and continues providing veterinary, transport and vehicle repair services. It was named after Dunsandle Castle, the home of Robert Daly, who had owned the land on which the town as established. It has one primary school for approximately 150 children. The town is the home to the Dunsandel Cricket Club. The club's 'A' team has a reputation as one of the premier teams in the Ellesmere district.